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| Wednesday, January 19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
ESPN.com ended up getting more than 1,000 e-mails on Michael Jordan's return to basketball as president of basketball operations in Washington. Here are a few of the better ones:
Many poor decisions have been made by the Washington Wizards' management, leading to a decline in the degree of talent, and winning percentage of its basketball team. Michael Jordan has the star power, as well as the business and basketball knowledge to turn the club around. One cannot expect him to provide the city of Washington, D.C., with an NBA Championship right away, but you can count on him having the team be competitive in the years to come.
As a Wizard (should be Bullet) fan, I'm cautiously optimistic about His Airness coming to D.C. I think it can only help a franchise that has languished below mediocrity for so many years. My only concern is that MJ will encounter the same problems that Magic, with his attempt to coach the Lakers, ran into: dealing with players who don't have his personal skill level and who don't have the competitive fire that he personally had on the court. When playing with "lesser" players, Jordan could take a game over and win it on his own. He won't be able to do that from Abe Pollin's executive box.
MJ is a godsend to the Wizards. Give him a year, two at the most, and they will be a force. Players will flock to Washington to play for him. The franchise will command instant respect. Wow, I'm a little envious of D.C. Jordan's coming, the Redskins are great again ... now if they could only get the Expos/Padres/Twins to move there, they'd really be rolling!Bob Jones Cleveland
What qualifies Michael Jordan to run a basketball franchise? Sure, he was a great player, but great players do not necessarily make great managers. Look at Willis Reed. Michael might have a good business sense. But he is no more qualified to run the show than his buddy Bugs Bunny is.
The Wizards have been a mediocre franchise for so long that it's going to take more than adding Michael Jordan to the front office to fix matters. He's going to have to clean house, both in the front office and on the court, before this team can become a winner again. Wes Unseld and Susan O'Malley have run that franchise into the ground for years. Hiring MJ, especially with the stipulation that there won't be front office firings, doesn't mean much for the short-term. For the next few years, though, with MJ's guidance, I would expect the team to do better. Jordan has a tremendous amount of energy and interest in the game and I hope that can translate to the operations side of the game. It's either going to be a terrific move for the Wizards or a terrible one for Jordan if his skills don't transfer well to the business of basketball.Phil Catelinet New York, N.Y.
I think this is just a publicity stunt to get more people out to watch the Waste-of-Time Wizards. I, for one, refuse to pay the high prices for seats to watch a bunch of no account losers play basketball. I wouldn't pay $1 to see Strickland or Howard. Bringing in the so-called athlete of the century (an ESPN publicity stunt) is a sure guarantee that I will NEVER, EVER go to a Wizards game again. End of Story!!!
Michael Jordan and the Wizards?! Unless he's playing, the Wizards won't be contending anytime soon. Sure, the Wizards will probably sell out their remaining home games, but the novelty will wear out quickly when the team remains mediocre.
I think the issue of what will happen with David Falk is
a huge one. Even if he is no longer Jordan's agent, the
relationship will still be there, and there will always
be questions, especially if Falk's players show up
on the Wizards' roster in big numbers or at below
market value. And what of Jordan's endorsement deals?
How many presidents of basketball operations have their
own division at Nike? And what's to keep Jordan from
getting the players he signs to sign on with Nike as well?
I don't see how Jordan alone can affect a team so greatly. Has it ever happened that one man in a manager's position has changed a team completely from one season to the next?
I think you will see an improvement in the play of the Wizards for the simple fact that people like Strickland and Howard will no longer be late for practices and give half-hearted efforts when Jordan is looking over their shoulder. Also, I believe that Richmond will get some of that fire that has not been there since the day he arrived. The Wizards will finally have a true leader 'on' and off the court for the first time in about 10 years.
As a season-ticket holder for the woeful Wiz, usually January is the time of year I start cursing my decision to renew back in September, so if nothing else, Jordan's move to our camp at least will give me the motivation to get out of bed on gameday morning. But the problems of this franchise go deep into its foundation, and I doubt that MJ, even if he is here to actually do work and not just solidify his media/political presence, can do anything to correct it. Until Abe sells the team, and Wes (though I admire the man) is out of the decision-making process, nothing will change.
Just when I thought it was safe to turn on the news or pick up a newspaper in Chicago without seeing and hearing Michael Jordan ...
Is anyone else sick of this guy?
Well, growing up in Chicago I love the Bulls and Michael. I'm kinda upset that Michael isn't trying to get in the front office of the Bulls. Seeing the Bulls struggle as bad as they are this year I think he could turn it around here. Michael belongs in Chicago. He is a Bull, not a Wizard.
Michael Jordan will have his work cut out. I have been a Wizards fan since the Elvin Hayes days. Jordan needs to instill players with a good work ethic, team oriented goals. Other than Richard Hamilton and some bench players, everyone else on the team should be made available. If he could get through to Rod Strickland he might be worth saving. One thing, just please don't bring Dennis Rodman in ...Rick Grenke Gardner, Mass.
Publicity Stunt? No, Jordan is being added to try and rejuvenate an underachieving team. I look for the team to stay stagnant. I don't see any moves being made, or this team to suddenly start winning. I think Jordan may turn into what Bobby Clarke has been to Philadelphia. He was good, but not the best player developer, or team developer.
How with the other GMs in the league handle MJ? Will they be harsher in dealing with him because of all the punishment he inflicted to their teams on the court?
I think this is silly. With the salary cap problem the Wizards have, God himself would need a miracle to make a difference.
Now we will finally see if Jordan can be successful in
something where he doesn't get special treatment and gets
away with cheating. This time he will gave to obey the rules
of the salary cap, contracts, etc. I bet it won't be as
easy as he expects. Look how miserably he failed at
something where he wasn't allowed to cheat (baseball) and he
quickly got out of that and went back to the NBA.
Interesting isn't it? I wish him luck and hope he can save
the Wizards, because they are struggling like the pre-Jordan
Bulls.
As a fan, I can tell you that I'll pay for tickets to be in the same building as the man -- and I'm not the only one in this city who'd say that. Hopefully the impact will be making the talented players that are already here play better (Juwan Howard, Mitch Richmond), and coaxing other players to the team. If you're in the NBA would you rather say you play for Wes Unseld and Gar Heard, or Michael Jordan? Not a tough question.
I don't have a question, but I do have a statement to make. The Hornets' organization was dumb to not take Jordan up on his offer. He would have helped the organization to become a great one and really be put on the map. Michael Jordan is a class act and he will lead any organization to success. I say congratulations to Michael and I hope he does well. I also want to say thanks to Michael for all the wonderful basketball memories.
Michael Jordan is merely a name right now. There is very little he can do to turn this franchise around -- at least in the short-term. The idea that Jordan's presence as an administrator alone will bring fans to the stands is foreign to me. Personally, and I share this sentiment with many others, I have lost all interest in basketball. Michael Jordan the player was why I was in love with the game. The NBA has lost its luster and the college game is totally unwatchable with every star player leaving way too soon. Thanks to McGwire and Sosa, I have found baseball again and that's where I'm staying...John Whieldon Waldorf, Md.
I think this move is a stroke of genius. Yes, I understand that he's only one person, and that he's not going to play on the court. But the guy's a winner, everyone likes him, he's well-respected and he'll surely make an impact. The name "Jordan" commands respect. What current player wouldn't want to come to D.C.? If Grant Hill signs here, he has the best instructor to teach him the intangibles to get to the next level. I think this is a move that just about every team will wish they had made in four or five years. Kind of like the 19 teams who passed up on Randy Moss. There is no better person, than Jordan, the most hard-working, passionate competitor in all of sports.
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